Cloth-shearing machine



C. G. RICHARDSON.

CLOTH SHEARiNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1920! 1,372,978. Patented Mar. 29,

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GL 0TH SHEARING MACHINE.

APPLZCAIION HLED MAR. a, 1920.

1,372,978, Patented Mar. 1921.

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:HIHIITH C. G. RICHARDSON.

CLOTH SHEARING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1920 1,372,978, Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. RICHARDSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR T0 PARKS &:

WOOLSON MACHINE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, VERMONT, A CORPORA- TION OF VERMONT.

CLOTH-SHEARING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, 1920. Serial No. 363,017.

1' 0 all whom it may concern SON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Springfield, in the county of "Windsor and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Shearing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shearing machines and is intended to provide a construction which may be continuously used for simultaneously shearing a plurality of narrow strips of cloth such as ribbons or the like without danger of cutting the cloth when the seam passes by the shear.

In shearing cloth the ends of each piece are sewed together to form the strip into an endless belt that may be fed continuously through the machine many times as may be desired. Where the ends of the cloth are sewed together there is formed a relatively thick seam which would be cut or injured if fed between the cloth rest and the revolving shear while these parts remain in their normal operative relationship for shearing the nap. Ordinarily the attendant watches the portions of the cloth approaching the shear, and as the seam approaches the shear.

either raises the shear by hand or lowers the cloth rest to permit the free passage of the seamed portion between these parts without injury. If one were to attempt to shear s1- multaneously a number of narrow strips of cloth instead of a single wide piece it is obvious that the seams for the different strips would approach the shear at different times thus requiring that the cloth rest or the shear be moved to allow each seam to pass through as it nears the shear. Such operation would involve skipping considerable portions of each strip each time the cloth rest would be lowered thus impairing the efiiciency of the shearing operation, and furthermore, it would involve much greater di'fiiculty in watching a considerable num ber of narrow strips with the seams approaching in irregular order.

The present invention is intended to provide a cloth shear that may be used for shearing either a single wide piece of fabric or a considerable number of narrow pieces without loss of efficiency in either case and without increasing the danger of cutting the fabric when a number of narrow strips are being sheared simultaneously.

To this end the invention comprises a cloth rest embracing a plurality of independently movable sections combined with suitable means for controlling each rest section independently of the other, and also improved controlling means which will be actuated automatically to separate the cloth rest and the shea* as the seam approaches the shear in order to allow the seam to pass by the shear without cutting the cloth. It will be understood that not only the seam but any bunch or wrinkle of excessive thickness may operate in the same manner as does the seam itself.

These and other features of the invention will be explained in this specification and will be particularly defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the preferred form embodying the principles of this invention in which:

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section showing the shear and cloth rest in operative relationshi ti and the automatic seam actuated mechanism by which their separation is accomplished;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation showing the seam actuated mechanism after it has begun to function;

Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts in their relationship at the time the cloth rest has been automatically dropped away from the shear;

Fig. 4; is a front elevation illustrating the parts shown in Figs. 1. and 3.

In the practice of this invention. according to the form shown. in the drawings any suitable type of shear blade such as the ro tary cutter blade a may be used in connection with the ledger blade which forms the inactive member of the shearing couple. The cloth rest may be of any suitable design presenting cloth supporting surfaces to the ledger blade and the shear in proper position to shear the nap. This particular cloth rest is formed of a plurality of similar sections 0 pivotally mounted on a cross bar or shaft 0' to permit the sections to drop independently away from the shear.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Each cloth rest section 0 is normally supported in operative relation to the shear by means of the supporting finger (Z which is pivotally mounted on a horizontal cross bar 0 carried by a fixed portion of the frame 0. Loosely mounted on the rotary shaft c are a series of pivotal plates d one for each cloth rest section. Each plate 6Z2 is connected by a link d with the supporting finger at so that by the partial rotation of the plate 6Z2 about the shaft 0 in a clockwise direction the supporting member cZ will be moved out of supporting engagement with the cloth rest section 0 thereby allowing said section to move or drop away from operative relation to the shear a. In this case the element shown for energizing the actuating mechanism for the cloth rest support comprises a lever frame Z secured to the arm i and having a cross bar on at its outer end. Parallel with this cross bar is yieldingly mounted another cross bar m slidingly connected with the cross bar m by means of the guide pins m and normally drawn toward the bar m by light tension springs of. These two bars are slightly separated to allow the cloth to pass between them but they are drawn close enough together by the spring m to engage any extra thickness such as that formed by the seam :12 in the endless belt cloth m that is being sheared.

On the plate (Z is pivotally mounted a pawl f which tends to turn on its axis in a contra-clockwise direction by means of a torsion spring f and which carries a. stop. pin f which is normally engaged by a pivotal latch 9 also mounted on said plate (Z This latch is cut away to form a hook-like portion'g which normally engages the stop pin f and holds the pawl f against rotation by the spring 7. In this position the arm'f of the pawl is out of engagement with the continuously rotating ratchet wheel 6 which is secured to the continuously rotating shaft 6.

On the shaft i is mounted a shaft lever arm 2' which is rigidly connected with the lever frame Z so that any rocking movement of the lever frame Z will correspondingly rock the arm The outer end of said arm 2' engages the adjacent face of the latch 9 when the lever is rocked from its normal or neutral position and the pressure exerted by the arm 2' against the latch o serves to spring the latch toward the shaft 6 thereby releasing the pawl f which under the action of the spring f interlocks its arm f with the teeth of the ratchet.

Such interlocking engagement serves to couple the plate 0Z operatively with the ratchet 6 thereby causing the plate to re- I tate with the ratchet carrying with it, of

course, the pawl f. This rotative movement of the plate 03 acts through the link d to move the supporting member d from its operative position thereby releasing the rest section 0 and allowing it to fall of its own weight.

In order to knock off or disengage the operative connection between the plate (Z and the ratchet, the frame 0 is formed with a projection 0 arranged in position to en gage the free end of the pawl f as it travels with the ratchet 0' thereby disengaging the arm f of the pawl from the ratchet teeth and al owing the plate (7 to drop back to normal position of its own weight th holding pin f going at the same time engaged by the latch f/ which has dropped back into operative position to retain the pawl. in this case the weight of the parts is such that when the cloth rest section 0 is raised to normal position the supporting member (Z will drop back into normal position beneath the rest section to support the same.

As the cloth travels through the machine the seam. by reason of its extra thickness, engages the bars 112, m and raises the lever Z thereby setting in action the mechanism for releasing or disconnecting the cloth support in the manner already explained allowing the cloth rest to move away from the shear. Each cloth rest section 0 is provided with a handle c easily reached by the operator at the front of the machine so that he may raise the rest section into operative position as soon as the seam has passed by the shear. Owing to the yielding connections between the bars m and or when the seam has drawn the. lever Z against the stop Z" the pull of the seam against the bar 722. will be sullicient to open it away from the bar m sui iciently to allow the seam to pass through.

It will be seen that each cloth rest section acts independently of the others and is antomatically moved through the agency of the seam itself when it reaches a pre .lctcrmined distance in front of the shear so that the cloth rest is allowed to drop before the seam can reach the shear. The opera tor is required merely to restore the cloth rest to normal position after the seam has passed by. It will also be observed that each strip of fabric takes care of itself independently of the other strips being sheared so that the shear and. the cloth rest in each casev is separated only for such short interval as is required to allow the. seams to pass under the shear while all the intermediate portion of each strip that is not immediately adjacent to the seam is subjected to uniform shearing action.

It will be understood that the form and construction of the mechanism for accomplishing the work described is not in itself essential, the main feature of the invention being the automatic control of the individual cloth sections to secure the proper separation of the blades and the cloth rest when the scam in each piece being sheared is approaching the shear blade.

Claims:

1. In a cloth shearing machine the combination with the shear of a cloth rest movable toward and away from the shear,*means normally keeping the cloth rest in operative relationship to the shear, and automatic means operated by engagement with the cloth seam for causing the cloth rest to move away from the shear to permit the cloth seam to pass between the rest and the shear to avoid cutting the fabric, substantially as described.

2. In a cloth shearing machine, the combination with a shearing cutter a cloth rest pivotally mounted in operative relationship to the shear to present the cloth thereto, mechanism by which the cloth rest is caused to swing away from the shear, means for energizing said mechanism arranged to be engaged by the cloth seam as it approaches the shear in order to swing the rest away from the shear to permit the passage of the cloth between the shear and the rest and thus avoid cutting the fabric.

3. The combination with the shearing cut ter and its movable cloth rest in juxtaposi tion thereto, means normally supporting the cloth rest in operative relation to present the cloth to the shearing cutter, means for automatically releasing the cloth rest from operative position to allow the seam to pass uninjured beyond the shear, a member for energizing said mechanism located to be en gaged and rendered operative by the cloth seam as it approaches the shear.

4. The combination of a shear, a cloth rest normally supported. in operative relation to present the cloth thereto for shearing, a seam actuated member, rest releasing mechanism rendered operative by said seam actuated member to cause the rest to move from operative position to allow the seam to pass uninjured between the shear and the rest, substantially as described.

5. In a cloth shearing machine the combination with a shearing blade, of a cloth rest comprising a plurality of independently movable sections normally arranged to present separate strips of cloth in operative relation to be sheared, means automatically set in action by engagement with the seam of any individual strip of cloth to cause movement of the corresponding section of the cloth rest out of operative position in order to allow the seam to pass unimpaired beyond the shear, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a shear, a cloth rest comprising independently movable sections for presenting separate strips of cloth to the shear, means for normally supporting the cloth rest sections in operative position, pivoted members for engaging the seams of the respective strips of cloth as they approach the shear and cause the corresponding cloth rest section to be moved away from the shear independently of the other sections, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a shear, a cloth rest, means for normally supporting said rest in operative relation to the shear, a continuously rotating member, means for releasing said rest supporting means from operative engagement with the rest, and means actu' ated by engagement with the cloth seam for operatively connecting the continuously rotating member with the releasing means to cause the rest to move out of operative position.

8. The combination of a shear, a cloth rest, means normally supporting the rest in operative relation to the shear, a rotating ratchet, an arm connected with the rest supporting means, a seam actuated member for establishing operative connection between said arm and the ratchet whereby the cloth rest is caused to move out of operative position through the agency of the approaching seam, substantially as described.

9. In a cloth shearing machine, the combination of a shear, a cloth rest, means normally tending to assume a position to support said rest in operative relation to the shear, positively actuated means automatically set in action by the agency of the cloth seam to disengage said rest supporting means, and manually controlled means for restoring said rest to ope 'ative position, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have subscribed the above specification.

CHARLES G. RICHARDSON. 

